It takes a rare person to wake up first thing in the morning without any lethargy or frustration. While there are morning people who do not struggle with shaking off the previous night's sleep, most people are keen on sleeping in. Unfortunately, this is not always an option since full-time employment typically requires us to wake up early to prepare for work while accounting for the commute. Most people have well-defined morning routines to help them face the day ahead, but one of the most common resources available is a warm cup of coffee.
Coffee has become an almost essential resource for modern Americans due to the caffeine that energizes us despite any lingering lethargy from the previous night. Most people are familiar with the typical coffee made from traditional coffee beans. You might not know that another type of coffee has potential.
While most people would balk at the idea of using anything other than their preferred coffee beans for their morning cup, another source provides benefits. This alternate source makes people uncomfortable because it is not a bean. While it might seem strange, creating a cup of coffee from mushrooms is possible.
Making coffee from fungus likely does not appeal to coffee enthusiasts, especially those immersed in the subculture that has grown around it. Nevertheless, mushroom coffee might be a worthwhile addition to your morning routine, given its health benefits. That said, you might want to know more about how it can improve your mornings.
What is Mushroom Coffee?
When people hear "mushroom coffee," it is common for them to visualize a cup of coffee that literally has mushrooms floating on the surface. Fortunately, this is the furthest thing from the truth since mushroom coffee is remarkably similar to the classic drink. Mushroom coffee is a drink made from powdered mushroom fruiting bodies. Creating this powder involves dehydrating the mushrooms and grinding them into a fine powder, then mixing them with ground coffee beans.
Combining the nutrients of both substances makes it possible to brew the mushroom powder through the same process as brewing normal coffee. As a result, the final product is visually identical to a normal cup of black coffee and has an almost identical taste (barring minor changes to the overall flavor). Despite mushroom coffee seeming abnormal, it has become common enough that mainstream vendors have begun prepackaging it.
Mushroom coffee can be purchased in traditional coffee blend containers but is also available as instant coffee packets and even coffee pods for devices like the Keurig. The fact that mushroom coffee has become so widely distributed is a testament to its newfound popularity. Most people drink mushroom coffee for its health benefits rather than any energizing effect.
This is primarily because mushroom coffee does not have as much caffeine as a cup of traditional coffee. As a result, it does not have the same energizing effect as normal coffee, contributing to people's reluctance to drink it instead. Nevertheless, mushroom coffee does have several qualities that make it a healthy addition to your daily routine. In some ways, the benefits of mushroom coffee make it a more beneficial addition to your morning routine than its common counterpart.
#1: Mushroom Coffee Helps Inflammation
Dozens of edible mushroom species can be ground into powder and used to create mushroom coffee. Despite the differences between these species, they all share several common traits that make them invaluable to our biology. These benefits can even protect our bodies from themselves when certain natural functions do not behave the way they are supposed to. One bodily function that has a habit of malfunctioning is our inflammatory response, which triggers when we are injured or sick.
Our inflammatory response protects us from further damaging ourselves while we heal and causes mild discomfort to discourage us from straining the affected area. Unfortunately, our body's inflammatory response can occasionally activate when no injury or illness warrants it. This usually happens with increasing frequency, causing chronic pain and discomfort for no reason.
Fortunately, mushrooms can combat an overactive inflammatory response due to the nutrients and compounds inherent in their biology. Specifically, mushrooms are adaptogens capable of helping the body respond to stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Mushrooms can treat these issues because they can help even out cortisol levels in our bodies.
Cortisol is a hormone directly linked to our body's stress response, and excessive concentrations can cause our stress levels to elevate. As strange as it might sound, this can cause physical symptoms like inflammation because our body is registering this stress as an illness or injury. Furthermore, mushrooms contain antioxidants, which support the immune system and protect against oxidative damage.
#2: Mushroom Coffee Energizes Us
Mushroom coffee is mixed with traditional coffee grounds to keep it in line with the drink people have come to rely on. Some people completely depend on the caffeine in their morning coffee to face the day after waking up. This dependency might not be the best thing in the world, but it is an understandable need given the high demands of modern employment.
Unfortunately, mushroom coffee's biggest weakness is that the ratio of mushroom powder to coffee grinds is 1:1, meaning there is half the coffee in the blend compared to a normal cup. This also cuts the blend's caffeine concentration in half, which causes people to assume that mushroom coffee will not help them wake up or give them the energy they need to function. While this makes sense in theory, it does not necessarily work that way since there is more to mushrooms than just a fungus.
Mushrooms are frequently cited as a nutritional addition to any diet and are one of the healthiest things you can eat. Mushrooms are an excellent source of essential vitamins and nutrients, making them very filling. Most people overlook that most mushrooms' nutritional content interacts with certain organs to help keep us functioning.
One major ability mushrooms possess is that they can help us overcome fatigue by stimulating the liver. Our liver purges toxins we introduce via the food and drink we consume daily. Most modern foods are processed or fried, meaning toxins in our daily meals are at an all-time high. As a result, we are more lethargic than ever because our bodies are working to purge toxins while absorbing the little nutrients they can from our food. There are even toxins in coffee that our bodies must purge to prevent damage to our organs.
However, mushrooms stimulate and support the liver, improving its functionality. They also enhance glucose regulation and blood circulation, meaning our bodies operate more efficiently and distribute energy better when we consume mushrooms.
#3: Mushrooms Support Gastrointestinal Health
It is not unheard of for people to wake up in the morning with nausea or gastrointestinal distress. One of the biggest issues people have in the early morning is excessive flatulence due to gas buildup overnight. While this is a natural byproduct of the human condition, you may have an imbalance in your gastrointestinal tract. Most people do not realize that our guts are a biome that houses thousands of bacteria.
The term "bacteria" typically elicits a fear response since we are conditioned from a young age to avoid bacteria to prevent illness or infection. While there are several conditions caused by bacterial colonization in the body, the idea that all bacteria are harmful is false. In addition to bacteria, certain fungal organisms call our bodies home and protect our gastrointestinal tract from illness. While guts do not have full-blown fungal colonies, fungal organisms are important to our health.
Unlike bacteria, the fungi that benefit our gastrointestinal tract do not manifest naturally in our bodies. Rather, we must introduce them by consuming certain mushrooms compatible with our physiology. The right mushrooms can promote the growth of natural bacteria we need and improve our digestive system. This reduces bloating, flatulence, or other gastrointestinal disturbances that might prove embarrassing or frustrating.
Essentially, mushrooms provide resources our bodies use to supplement essential microorganisms, which settle our stomachs. This can be invaluable for people who suffer from early morning gastrointestinal disturbances. Unfortunately, this particular benefit is not instantaneous and will require a regular regimen to yield the desired results. Nevertheless, the benefit outweighs the effort.
#4: Mushrooms Promote Cardiovascular Health
One of the most infamous issues with excessive caffeine consumption is that it strains our hearts and increases the risk of heart disease. Typically, the amount of caffeine we would have to consume to jeopardize our heart health is excessive and beyond what most people willingly drink.
The maximum amount of caffeine per day recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is 400 milligrams. A cup of black coffee contains between 80 to 100 milligrams, meaning a cup of strong coffee usually accounts for ¼ of our daily intake. Unfortunately, some people are so dependent on coffee that they will consume more than the FDA recommends. Caffeine is one of our most powerful stimulants, meaning it makes our hearts beat faster when we use it.
The additional strain of multiple cups of coffee can stress the heart and weaken it, leaving it vulnerable to damage and illness. The heart is one of our most important organs, second to the brain. Without it, we cannot send blood where it needs to go, and we would die. Our heart health is further compromised by plaque buildup caused by consuming unhealthy foods prevalent in modern society.
Fortunately, mushrooms affect our cardiovascular health due to the same nutrients that make them healthy for consumption. Specifically, mushrooms can help reduce plaque buildup around the heart and minimize the risk of heart disease. If plaque is allowed to grow unchecked and you drink large quantities of coffee regularly, you strain the heart when it is already struggling. Reducing the buildup rate by consuming mushrooms can help the heart function with less stress.
Granted, you must still keep your caffeine intake within the FDA's recommendation to avoid overstressing the organ. One of the best ways to use mushrooms for cardiovascular health is to use them as a substitute for red meat. Red meat contributes heavily to plaque buildup due to fat and cholesterol content. Mushrooms have a similar texture and taste to meat, making them an effective substitute that can promote cardiovascular health.
Insofar as coffee is concerned, using mushroom coffee reduces your caffeine intake while adding the cardiovascular support of mushrooms to your drink. This can be an excellent way to reduce the strain on your heart if you drink multiple cups of coffee or need to dial back the caffeine for health reasons. Unfortunately, finding a coffee blend compatible with mushroom powder is the biggest challenge.
Keep it All Natural!
Mushroom coffee might not sound appealing at face value, but it offers benefits to help keep your caffeine intake in check while supporting essential bodily functions. Not everyone is fond of mushrooms, and there are alternatives to help you access some of their benefits. Unfortunately, there is only one effective method for using it to complement your coffee. The good news is that mushrooms seldom alter the coffee's flavor and usually only create a subtle difference.
If you are fond of unsweetened coffee, this means you can still enjoy the same flavor profile. If you prefer slightly sweetened coffee, your added ingredients should bury the remnants of the mushroom's flavor. Ultimately, your main challenge will be acquiring a coffee blend designed to help you maintain a healthy body.
We at Bella All Natural have always believed that natural solutions are usually the best, especially when enhancing the body's natural functions. That is why we have created a catalog of health and beauty products that use natural ingredients. One of our top-selling products is our Skinny Hot Coffee, which allows you to create a cup of delicious coffee with only a scoop of powder. Using half a scoop enables you to replace the other half with mushroom powder for the maximum effect. We encourage you to visit our website and try our product firsthand, but regardless of your decision, remember always to keep it All Natural!
